


Party Wave

by orphan_account



Category: Free!
Genre: Birthday, Childhood, Friendship, Haru's Birthday Bash, merman au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-06-24
Updated: 2014-06-24
Packaged: 2018-02-05 10:06:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,503
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1814647
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Happy Birthday, Haruka! This boy has the best friends a merman can have.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Party Wave

**Author's Note:**

> Originally written for Haru's Birthday Bash on tumblr! Also, this has no affiliation to my story Breach. Similarities, yes. Direct 'canon,' no.

The sun was high, shining down on his skin as his hums mixed with the gentle crashing waves. He'd run here straight from school, just as always, never stopping for a moment unless it was to say hello or help an old lady with her groceries (that had happened once; she'd given him a mint from her purse as a thank you).

It had only been about ten minutes or so, but...it could be anytime now. Sooner. Later. Unless something had happened. Makoto should be here soon, whenever he was done with his chores and the baking. Nagisa would show up, too, once he picked up the stuff they needed.

Rin was a good boy, eleven years old with rusty hair and sorta tanned skin. He wasn't a troublemaker (a bit energetic, but that wasn't really so bad), he made good grades, and he had three great friends...one of which only the other two, as well as himself, knew about.

Oh, he was excited. _Very_ excited. Today was a special day, or at least he and Makoto and Nagisa had decided that it would be. It had to be a special day, because today, they'd decided, would be Haruka's birthday.

Haruka. The fourth member of their group of friends. A quiet boy with jet black hair and clear blue eyes. His skin was very pale, and...well, to get to the point, Haruka was a merman.

Rin meeting (or rather, discovering) the extraordinary 'child' was a matter of pure circumstance. Chance. ' _Destiny_ ,' he'd say, if he wanted to sound cool, and oh, did he _ever_ want to sound cool.

Months had passed since then, and now, Haruka had three wonderful humans in his life that he called his friends. Rin had the biggest hand in teaching him how to speak their language (everyone had tried learning Haruka's language, but it had never really worked out), but Makoto and Nagisa had certainly helped along, too.

However, very recently, only a few days before today, Nagisa Hazuki (the ten year-old who was most famous for saying whatever came to mind) blurted a question that the others suddenly felt ashamed for never asking.

"When's your birthday?"

And when Haruka had questioned the word ' _Birthday_ ,' the other boys' eyes had widened.

"Do you not know your birthday?" Makoto had asked politely, and Haruka had shaken his head ' _No_.'

"What's a birthday?"

"It's the day you were born! Your friends and family gather around and give you present and cake and all kinds of cool stuff!"

Nagisa explained the basics of a birthday party, but Rin knew that that answer wouldn't suffice. _Telling_ Haruka what a birthday was wasn't good enough at all.

Today would be Haruka's birthday.

Finally, after what seemed like ages, a tall (at least for his age) brunette boy joined Rin on the beach, a small container in his hands.

"Mom made cupcakes...I said they were for a party."

"Whoah, you _lied_? That's not like you, Makoto..."

Rin teased and elbowed Makoto's shoulder playfully, laughing at how his friend suddenly pouted.

"I didn't _lie_ , they _are_ for a party!"

"I know, I know, I'm just messin.'"

Makoto laughed, and so did Rin. Makoto was a good kid, too. Really smart, a great swimmer, _super_ nice...one of the first friends Rin had made after moving to Iwatobi from Tokyo. If there was anyone he could trust with the secret of Haruka, it was him.

" _Guuuuys_!"

"Hey, Nagisa!"

They waved at the small blonde that came pounding down the grassy slope to their beach, huffing and puffing, a cluster of balloons following him as if they were heat-seeking missiles.

"I got the balloons!"

"We can see that."

Rin gestured for the boy to come sit with them, but then stopped and stood, taking Makoto's cupcake container and Nagisa's balloons. Without a word, he placed the balloons strings underneath the container, and in a moment-

"Now when he comes up, he'll see all the cool stuff and know something cool's happening."

"Good idea, Rin!"

"This is so _cool_!"

Rin sat down beside his friends, grinning wildly as his excitement grew. A birthday for Haruka! His first birthday, _ever_! Well, not his _first_ first, but...

. . .

"How old do you think he is?"

Makoto looked up to the sky, humming in thought.

"Well...he _looks_ young. Maybe he's turning eleven?"

"Maybe..."

Rin agreed, but then Nagisa piped in, his eyes popped open.

"What if he's like, _super old_ , but he just _looks_ like a kid!?"

"Nagisa, that's not-"

"Whoah...Rin, what if he's right?"

"Haruka is _not_ super old, he's a kid! I mean...probably... _ugh_ , we gotta figure this out."

Makoto suggested Haruka be twelve, but when Rin got upset about suddenly being younger than him, they all decided eleven would be just fine. Haruka would eleven years old, just like Makoto and Rin, and Nagisa said he didn't mind having another role model to look up to.

"So...today, every year, we're gonna do this?"

Makoto asked quietly, and Rin nodded with pure determination.

"Yep. Every year."

"Even when _we're_ super old?" Nagisa questioned.

"Even when _we're_ super old. We can't let Haruka be all by himself...so I'm gonna come back. Every year, no matter what. I'll leave during the Olympics if I have to. You guys can do whatever you gotta do, I'm sure Haruka won't get like, mad or anything. But no matter where I am or what I'm doing, I'm _always_ gonna come back. He needs us."

Makoto waited a moment before smiling, understanding the bond between Rin and Haruka was strong. Nagisa simply let out an awe-struck " _Wow_." Rin had always been cool in his eyes, so his declaration of loyalty only made him cooler.

Rin turned to his friends and grinned.

"And I'll come back for you guys, too."

"Yeah!"

"Uh-huh!"

Their eyes turned out to the Pacific Ocean, scanning each cresting wave for that familiar face, or a waving hand, anything. Rin's mind raced with happiness; how would Haruka react? Would he be excited? Would he like the cupcakes? Oh man, he couldn't _wait_ to see what he'd do with the balloons. He couldn't hold back a small, joyful giggle, practically rocking with anticipation.

This was for Haruka.

Makoto and Nagisa probably already knew, but Haruka was Rin's best friend.

He'd like to stay with him for the rest of his life, if he could. That was what he'd wished for himself, after all, at his own birthday.

. . .

Maybe that would be Haruka's wish, too.

His thoughts stopped, however, when Nagisa's high voice pierced the air with a loud " _There he is_!"

The boys sprang to their feet, looking toward where Nagisa's finger pointed, and yes, there he was.

Haruka, the quiet _eleven_ year-old boy with jet-black hair and clear blue eyes, with pale skin, and the most beautiful glimmering, scaly blue tail any of them had ever seen.

He was so quiet. Haruka didn't talk _too_ -too much. He didn't smile that much, either, and Rin had yet to hear him laugh. Though right now, in this moment where the merman swam closer and closer to the shore, eventually beaching himself, and looked at his friends with their wide smiles and excited eyes, and at the strange floating balls in the air, his eyes, too, widened, and he pointed to the balloons with curiosity.

"What _are_ those?"

He'd get an answer, of course. Just not now. Not now, when Rin, Makoto, and Nagisa went running over to hug him, shouting, " _Happy birthday, Haru_!"

"...birthday?  _My_ birthday?"

"Yeah, yeah, today's your birthday!"

"It is?

"Yeah, see!?"

Nagisa exclaimed as he rushed over to the cupcakes and balloons. In his haste, one of the strings rustled loose, and up went a bright red balloon, up into the stratosphere. He yelled " _Crap_!" Makoto and Rin laughed, and Haruka watched in pure wonder as it floated higher and higher away.

"We wanted you to have a birthday," Makoto said, letting go and carefully taking the lid off the cupcake container, "because you're our friend."

The merman was filled with confusion for only a moment or two, but then Rin saw it; the smallest smile. The tiniest, most grateful, happy smile he'd ever seen. He hugged Haruka, ignoring Makoto and Nagisa for the moment

"We love you, Haru. Today's your birthday, okay? It's a happy day...I got you a present, too, but we do that stuff later, like after the cupcakes."

Rin murmured before holding him tighter, and he was so happy, so _ridiculously_ happy to feel Haruka hug him back back. He loved him more than anything, more than anyone. His very best friend. Haruka.

The merman made a sound, a very quiet sound, but everyone heard it all the same; a laugh. Small and happy. Content with the world. He let go of Rin and looked to his other friends, who were grinning and antsy, ready for the celebration to truly begin.

"Thank you...thank you everyone."

**Author's Note:**

> Look at all the happy there could be if Rin didn't leave for Australia.
> 
> Did I write and AU of my AU? I sure as hell did.
> 
> Happy birthday, Haruka~


End file.
